Jungle of the Heart
by MaskedMuse
Summary: After Kelsey left and settled into her new life, Kishan went to visit her. Since Ren found Kelsey, what about Kishan? Does he get that special person to free him?
1. Chapter 1

_Jungle of the Heart_

_Chapter One_

I watched from the pool chair as Dhiren went from pacing, laying, and looking at his reflection in the pool water. He had yet changed from his tiger form since Kelsey left. So much for him 'learning to live without her.' I felt a pang as I remembered that Ren was never this obsessed over Yesubai. He never deserved her.

I sighed, getting up from my chair and walked over to the moping white tiger. I tapped his side with my foot. He gave a half-hearted growl at the gesture. I crouched down, and he turned his eyes away so he didn't have to look at me.

"You know," I started. "I'm sure that Kelsey wouldn't be happy if she came back this summer to see you looking pitiful." He ignored me. "Well, since you're going to act like this, I'm going to go call her. Maybe she'll see I'm the better choice over you."

I knew that would get him at least up and not so pitiful looking. I jumped back from his claws, and smiled as he rumbled with his roar that shook the floor. He closed his mouth, but his teeth were bared. I stood, shaking my head and rolling my eyes and ventured back into the house. I heard a thump as he laid back down.

Mr. Kadam was at the table, papers and pictures and books of India spread out around him. He seemed exhausted, and had taken few brakes to try and figure out what the next step would be.

I went over, grabbed a mango, and peeled the skin off before walking over to look over the older man's shoulder as I ate.

"Do you have anything?" I asked. He didn't jump, even though he had given no sign that he knew I was there.

"I have ideas," he replied, and shrugged, sitting back and running his hand over his hair. "And was that Ren who roared? I thought I asked you two to behave."

"Well, he's acting like a child," I replied, taking a bite from my mango.

"Kishan, you should understand how he's feeling," Mr. Kadam said, looking up at me. I growled at him, and turned and walked away. I threw the mango seed away before heading to my bedroom.

I grabbed my cell phone, something that was the most interesting thing to me, and went to my contacts. There was only three: Ren, Mr. Kadam, and Kelsey. I pressed on the latter and let it ring. If Ren wasn't even going to see if she made it back okay and if she was enjoying school, I was going to.

It rang three times before a slightly confused voice answered, "Hello?"

"Did Mr. Kadam not instal my number into that phone?" I said teasingly, trying to push back the somber mood that the older man had brought up about the past.

"Kishan?" Kelsey said happily, and I smiled triumphantly.

"The one and only, my fair lady," I said. "How is your school? Do you like your new home?"

"I think He did to much," she said, and I heard the frown in her voice. "It's so much money! My school, my house, that car... I think Mike loves the car more than I do."

"Mike?" I inquired, thinking the name sounded familiar but I couldn't place it.

"My step-father," she said, sighing. "But, I do love W-O-U. Tell Mr. Kadam that I love the classes he chose, by the way."

"Of course," I said, smiling.

"How is it back in India?" She asked, and I hinted a bit of worry in her tone. I smirked, shaking my head.

"Fine, awfully boring since you aren't here to have fun with," I said, smiling. She caught the underlying message and I heard her laugh. "Mr. Kadam is going over stories and whatnot, trying to figure out our puzzle."

"What about the Golden Fruit?"

"Safe," I assured. "How about your scaly friend?"

"She's fine, I guess," she replied, and I heard a thump as she laid down. "Do you think she has to eat? I don't have any mice around here."

"Well, if she eats you, I would advise to get her some food," I said, rolling my eyes. She giggled in return.

"Has anything happened while I'm gone?" She said, and I could almost pick up her hint.

I frowned. "Ren is being stubborn like usual, if that's what you're asking. He hasn't been a man since you left. It's irritating. He's out by the pool now looking like a lost kitten. Ridiculous."

"I'm sure once he watches some movies he'll want to get out and meet some super model," she said, and then grumbled quietly. "Prettier than me, of course."

"Miss Kelsey, I think you are a beautiful young lady," I said, smiling. "Just as beautiful as Yesubai."

"Yeah, right," she said, and I heard the sarcasm coming into her voice. "I'm no princess."

"That doesn't matter, Kelsey," I said, taking a deep breath, and let it out. "Even if you are or aren't a princess, that doesn't heighten your beauty or smother it. You're Kelsey!"

"Fine, Kishan," she sighed, and then grumbled. "Hey, I have to go. School starts soon and I'm not driving and talking on the phone."

"Alright," I said, moving my thumb to the end button. "Will you call me later, rajkumari?"

"If I don't have a load of homework," she promised. I had to be satisfied with that, and I bid her a good day. She did the same, and I hung up. I walked to my balcony and leaned over, spotting Ren leaning over the water.

"Dhiren!" I called, and his blue eyes angled up toward me. I grinned widely and called, "Kelsey invited me to go to America and stay with her!" He growled up at me, catching my joke. I laughed, waved it off, and went back into my room.

Actually, that wasn't a bad idea...


	2. Chapter 2

It was surprisingly easy to get Mr. Kadam to arrange for me to fly to America without Ren knowing. It had been a long week, and no excitement was going on. Ren still moped, but now he did it in human form as well. It was almost worse. He'd drag his feet, not leave the house, and he barely ate.

Mr. Kadam had his nose in books, trying to figure out the next step in Ren and Kelsey's journey. I was still debating if I should go with them or not. Though, if I had been with them the first time, that Kappa wouldn't have gotten to Kelsey...

India was far different from what I grew up in. It was crowded, and I was now 'claustrophobic' thanks to living in the jungle most of my tiger life. I wasn't used to the packed streets and the loud noises after the peaceful quiet of the jungle.

And so, where better to go than America and see Kelsey?

I had grown fond of the girl when I had met her the first time, and that's what essentially convinced me to go to Ren's home. It was nice, like most things in Ren's life, and I had no complaints.

So, now, I was snoozing in tiger form on the plane. Nilima was aboard the plane, and she came and checked on me every so often in the cage.

She put me in a _cage_.

It was understandable. The pilot would most certainly freak out if a tiger was walking freely on a plane, but that didn't mean I had to like it.

And so, to amuse myself, I gave a half-hearted roar every so then. Nilima would come back, put her hands on her hips, and give me a stern look. I just rolled on my back, batting my paws in the air, and gave her an innocent tiger look. Right when she turned around and walked away I would do it again.

And that would be how I amused myself on the whole flight.

When we landed, I stood up straight. They opened up the back, and I spotted the thick chains that they were holding. I growled in annoyance, and then I spotted the collar. I huffed, sitting down.

Nilima talked to the man briefly, reassuring them I was a 'good tiger.' They approached my cage, and I allowed them to fasten the collar, securing the chains. I jumped out, and they all had a death grip on the chains as they led me to the bulky van, with another cage.

I hopped in obediently, and they unhooked the chains. I growled when the man tugged on it fast and hard when he thought it was free. They all jumped back. Nilima sighed, walking over, unhooked it with ease, giving me a look, and let it drop on the ground and she closed the cage and secured it.

I was plunged into darkness. I heard a door shut, and we drove for about twenty minutes. The car pulled over, and I changed back into a human as the door opened. Nilima opened the cage, and I jumped out. We were in some kind of empty parking lot.

I smiled and winked at Nilima as I walked around to the passengers side. Nilima got into the driver's side and took off as I pulled down the mirror.

I loved mirrors. They were so much better than the reflective surfaces we used to use back when I was younger. I smiled back at myself and folded it back up, and leaned back.

"So, Nilima," I said, grinning. "Are we there yet?"

"Don't even start, Kishan," Nilima said, frowning, not looking away from the road.

"You know, I don't think you're this grumpy with Kelsey around," I said matter-of-factly. She sighed, and took a right.

"Right behind my seat is your bag," she said after a moment. I looked behind her seat, and there it was. Then again, there was no reason to doubt. Nilima, just like her great great great... add a few more great's... grandfather, was always prepared and organized. No wonder he chose her to share our 'family secret' with.

I pulled it out and put it in my lap. I drummed my fingers on the top, looking out the window. After awhile, I leaned my head back and dozed while Nilima drove.

The car jerking to a stop woke me from my doze. I glanced over quickly to see Nilima smirk. I looked up, and spotted what must be the house Ren had purchased for Kelsey.

"This is it," Nilima said, and smiled. "Tell Kelsey I said hello."

"Are you not coming in?" I asked, raising a brow.

She shook her head. "Kelsey should be in class right now. I'm not sure when she will get back. There is an extra key above the door."

"Well, thank you for the ride," I said, getting out and closing the door after me. Nilima watched me until I got to the doorstep, and she turned around and drove off. I reached up, trailing my fingers on the ledge that jutted out from the wall. I found the key, and let myself in.

It was a nice little home, of course. I placed my bag down next to the couch, and then wandered into the kitchen. There was barely anything in the fridge, surprisingly. There were freezer meals, and soda and, of course, lemons. There was a jew other things, but I took a soda.

In the pantry there was soups, stuff called Top Ramen, and other cheep stuff. I raised my brow, and wandered the rest of the house. It was a one bedroom, one bath house it looked like. I couldn't find a guest bedroom or anything.

I finished the soda, put it in the trash can. I had to pause, though, when I did that. There were two trashcans. One had three green arrows pointing to each other in a triangle, and the other blank. I looked in and saw the green arrow one had metal cans. I put my can in there before changing into a tiger. I didn't want to waste hours wandering around here as human, and then be a tiger when Kelsey got back.

It was a cute little house, I decided. I wandered into her bedroom, and stopped in my tracks when I saw the giant stuffed white tiger on one side of her bed. I softly growled to myself, and walked over, putting my front two paws on the bed, and sniffed the thing. It smelt like Kelsey.

I rolled my eyes, stepping down from the bed, and wandered back to the kitchen. It quickly grew boring. At least I didn't have to watch a pitiful looking Ren. The white stuffed tiger in Kelsey's room was better than that.

I was there for about another two hours when I heard a rumble. I raised my head from where I was laying in the center of the living room. I waited, listening. The rumble stopped for a second, and then started again, and I heard a door slam.

I shifted, and walked over and sat on the couch, grinning. I heard the door opened and close behind me, and something dropping and what sounded like books and paper being put down. And then a pause, and then a gasp, "Kishan?"

I turned and looked at the young woman, and smiled. She hadn't changed a bit from when she left. I stood, laughing at her expression. She ran over, and wrapped her arms around my torso while I hugged her around the shoulders.

"What are you doing here?" She asked, pulling back and looking up at me with a smile.

"Well, India is boring without you," I said grinning. "Mr. Kadam working, my brother being... well, you know."

"He'll get over it," she said, rolling her eyes, and started towards the kitchen. I followed her, crossing my arms. "Are you hungry?"

"Starving, actually," I said, and frowned. "I already raided your food. You have nothing, _bilauta_. Now, I'm sure my brother gave you a credit card."

"He did," she huffed, grabbing a soda for herself. "I hate using his money."

"It's not like you can see an end to it," I said, and sighed. "If I'm going to be here for the next few days, we are going to have to go shopping."

"How long are you staying?" She asked, looking at me, brow raised.

"As long as it takes to sweep you off your feet," I said, dipping my head and grinned at her. She rolled her eyes, and walked to the pantry, grabbed a back of that ramen stuff. Then, she paused, and grabbed another one and walked back.

I watched as she filled up a pot and then placed it on the stove. I watched as she broke open the packs. Dried noodle looking things were in it.

"How's school?" I asked, leaning back against her counter as she made food, hopefully for me.

"Fine," she said, and smiled, looking back at me over her shoulder. "Have a few friends. A boy in one of my classes asked me out to go get dinner."

"Really?" I growled playfully. "What did you say?"

"I told him I..." she trailed off for a moment, biting her lip. "I told him I just got out of a complicated relationship. I actually just didn't want to go out with him. He's like all those other jockey boys."

"Well, I don't think you need to 'go out' with anyone. There's a certain Indian Prince that would take you in a heart beat," I said, and winked at her. She laughed, stirring the noodles in the pan.

"Can you get a bowl?" She said, and pointed to a cupboard. "Get a big one." I did as she asked, and got a large glass bowl and handed it to her. She opened two silver packets and boarded the brown stuff in the bowl. She then dumped the contents of the pan in the bowl. She grabbed a large fork and stirred it.

"You know," I said as she handed me the bowl, I paused, inhaling the scent. Not bad. "Since I am here, we are going to have to go out."

"Like to a club?" She asked, raising a brow.

"Just the same," I said, twirling the ramen, and put it in my mouth. Not bad at all. I swallowed without chewing.

Kelsey rolled her eyes. "Can't you tigers chew your food?"

"I don't think so," I said, smiling, and took another bite.

"Well, I would love to talk with you and everything," she said, shoulder slumping. "But I really have to start on my homework. My professor gave me a load."

"Don't mind me," I said, waving it off, and dug into the ramen. Kelsey went over to the dinning room table, a small four seater, and shuffled through all the papers. I moved to the living room, and grabbed the remote, and shuffled through channels, and settled on the channel Animal Planet.

I sat back, eating the ramen, and watched as they rambled on about one breed of dog. I heard Kelsey gasp behind me, and I jumped, craning my head around to see her walking to the door through her kitchen.

"What's wrong?" I said, getting up. I put the empty bowl in the sink as I followed the girl to the door.

"My friend - my neighbor - she had to go to something after class and she asked me to walk her dog so she can go."

"I'll come with you," I said, and she nodded, and we both walked out to the garage, where Kelsey pushed a button and the garage door rose. We walked around to the other house, and Kelsey got the key from under the rug and opened the door.

We were instantly greeted by a small, multicolored bundle of wiry hair. It looked like a dog that had been pulled by both ends so that it's spine was longer.

"Hi, Vivi," Kelsey said in a higher pitched voice. The dog stood on its back paw and batted its front paws in the air. I raised a brow, and watched as Kelsey took the leash from the side table and hooked it on to the dog's collar.

"That's the dog?" I asked, shutting the door behind us as we walked back out.

"It's a wiener dog," Kelsey said, leading the way down to the grass. I raised my brow at the small dog.

"It resembles a rat-thing," I said. Kelsey snickered, nudging my shoulder. The dog hopped over, and sniffed my clothes. I growled, stepping away. The dog paused, and then started barking at me.

"Why would anyone even want a dog?" I said, wanting to cover my ears at the obnoxious sound.

"Well, not everyone is a cat person," Kelsey said.

"Well, good thing you are," I said, grinning. She laughed. we waited for a few more minutes, and when we were starting back to the door, a silver camero pulled into the drive way.

"Oh, that's Sierra," Kelsey said, and she trotted towards the car. A young woman, about eighteen or nineteen, stepped out, and waved to Kelsey. The dog was yapping excitedly, jumping up and down before her owner. I ventured over slowly, head tilted to the side.

Sierra was surprisingly tall, an inch shorter than I was. Her hair was dark, and when the sun hit it you could tell it was actually a dark brown then black. She had sharp cheek bones, and plush lips. Her nose was slightly tipped, leaning a little up. Her eyes were almond shaped, and a dark green. Her skin was naturally darker, but had a golden bronze in it. She wasn't sickly thin, and had some meat on her bones.

She picked up the dog, thanking Kelsey. "I wouldn't have asked you if I knew I would be back this soon. The library was closed. They're remodeling it or something."

"It's no problem," Kelsey said, and then glanced at me. "Oh, this is Kishan. He's a friend from India."

"Oh, yeah, forgot you spent some time in India," Sierra said, and then smiled at me. She offered her hand, and I took it.

When our hands touched, I felt as if lightning went down my spine. She paused for a second, and I suspected that she might've felt it too. She withdrew her hand.

"It's nice to meet you, Sierra," I said, and smiled.

"Yeah," she agreed, almost sounding breathless. She blinked, and straightened up and looked back to Kelsey. "Thanks again. I'll see you tomorrow?"

"You bet," Kelsey said, nodding. "Bye."

"Bye!" And then she glanced at me and said, "Bye, Kishan."

I nodded my head, and watched as she went back to her house. When the door closed, I felt a poke on my arm. I looked down at Kelsey, and she was looking up at me, a smile slowly spreading across her face and her brow raising.

"Is that what it was like for you and Ren?" I asked bluntly. "Feeling electricity when you touch or see each other?" Her face went blood red, and I couldn't help but laugh. She mumbled something, most likely sarcastic, and led the way back to her door.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Soooo, I'm hoping y'all like the story so far? Don't feel shy about critics or anything, and some feelings on where you might want this to go and maybe want to happen :)**

**And I don't own any of the original characters (Kelsey, Ren, Kishan, Mr. Kadam). Just in case you guys didn't figure that out already...**

**And this might have a lot of grammar/spelling mistakes. I apologize in advance. I didn't proof read it. I wanted to get it up because it's been at least a week since my last one... I think...**

**Anyhow, I hope you enjoy the chapter. Thanks for all the reviews and alerts so far!  
**

While Kelsey was at school, I changed into a tiger and went into the woods that bordered her house. She mentioned that deer sometimes would come and graze in their lawn if I wanted to hunt. She seemed a little disgusted at saying it, and I had laughed and pecked her on the cheek when she left.

I prowled around by her house first, sniffing at the different kinds of vegetation. At least I was sure that there were no monkeys around. I hated those things so much. Even more so since I heard the story to Ren and Kelsey's adventure.

I spotted deer, but I didn't hunt them. I didn't want to take the time away from spending time with Kelsey, even though the deer seemed lazy and fat. I gave a soft growl and sent the whole herd running.

I grumbled a laugh and I went back to the direction of Kelsey's house. I stayed mostly in the back, and found a large break in the branches in a sunny spot. I laid down there and took a nap, passing away time from when Kelsey would get back and we would go out.

I almost wished that Sierra didn't go to school. I would've gone over there, made an excuse, and had her drive me to the grocery store or something. Oh well. I would squirm my way over there or not.

After a few hours, I wandered back to the house. Right before the tree line ended, I transformed back and headed back into the house. When I was inside, I transformed back, and paced awhile.

Then I heard my phone ring. I transformed back and went to answer it. It was Kelsey. I glanced at the clock, surprised to see it that late, and answered. "Hey, Kells."

"Hey, Kishan," she replied. "Um, I invited Sierra to come with us tonight. And then some other friends... is that alright?"

"Fine," I assured, heading to her room. I had napped on her bed as a tiger, and was glad to push that stuffed white tiger out of the way. During the night, Kelsey had used me as her pillow. I thought it was awfully cute.

I went to my suitcase, and hefted it on the bed, unzipping it.

"Okay, well, Sierra rode with me to school this morning. She was worried if her car would be able to make it. It's almost empty. But she said it should make it to the club we're going to. You remember where I grabbed her key, right? There's an extra pair of car keys in one of her drawers in the kitchen."

"Is Sierra fine with a complete stranger going into her house?" I asked, amused, pulling out a black shirt and dark jeans.

"She suggested it," Kelsey admitted. "There's also a GPS in her car. Pretty easy to figure it out. Let me get the address..." she gave me the address, and I wrote it down to remember.

"Got it," I said, tossing the pen aside. "I shall meet you there shortly."

"Alright," she said. "See ya soon." And then she hung up. Excited now that Sierra would be joining us, I changed quickly and jogged over to her house. I unlocked the door, and the dog instantly charged at me, barking. I huffed, ignoring the dog. It was an exact replica of Kelsey's house.

I easily found the kitchen, and went through the drawers until I found the extra pair of keys.

I went to her car, and pressed the button she had pinned to her mirror fold, and backed up. Mr. Kadam had shown me how to drive, and I had caught on quickly. Pretty basic, if I say so myself.

I closed the garage door, and paused to type in the address in the GPS. It was an annoyingly perky british lady telling me where to go. I followed the directions, and when I was turning on to the last street, my phone rang. I glanced down and saw it was Ren.

I grinned, accelerating, and pulled into a parking space in front of the club. I flipped it open and said cheerfully, "Hello, Dhiren."

"Where are you?" He said in a dark voice.

"In Kelsey's bed, half dressed," I lied, snickering, getting out of the car, locking it. I heard a deep growl from the other end. "If it makes you feel better, she sounds worried about you. Then I grabbed her and we forgot you." There was a roar from the other end, and I laughed, hanging up and sliding the phone in my pocket.

I took the door, and opened, walking in. There were multicolored lights, but it was still darker than, say, a diner. There was a dance floor, red booths, and a full bar. I walked further in, looking for Kelsey. She wasn't hard to spot, sitting at the end in a booth.

She spotted me before I got there, and she smiled widely, standing up to give me a hug. I took her hand, and kissed her fingers. "Kelsey."

"I'm glad you found it," she said, smiling. "I wasn't sure if you would've made it."

"I'm glad to hear you have so much faith in me," I laughed.

"Kelsey!" We both turned at her name to the people in the booth. "Whose this?" There were two other girls besides Sierra sitting, and two other guys. The one that spoke was a pretty blonde girl who looking a little to thin, and had on a little too much makeup for my taste.

"Sorry," Kelsey said, and put a hand on my upper arm. "This is Kishan. A friend from India. Kishan, this is Isabelle. And you know Sierra." The other two girls were identical twins, red heads with a splash of freckles; their names were Rachel and Madeline (she wore glasses). One of the men were older than the others, and he had a beer in his hand. He was bulky with muscle, with a buzz cut and glasses; his name was Michael. The other was wiry with long hair and tighter clothing, and introduced himself as Ray.

"It's nice to meet all of you," I said, nodding.

The song changed, and Rachel got excited, and stood from her end of the booth. "I love this song! Kishan, you wanna dance?"

"Of course," I said, glancing at Sierra. She smiled at me, and then I winked at her before Rachel grabbed my hand and drug me to the dance floor.

It was a fast paced song, and I remembered some of the dancing from the place Kelsey, Mr. Kadam and I had gone to... and later Ren. I had a feeling it would be a little different here.

We danced, and Rachel laughed sometimes when I faltered. I laughed as well, and took her hips, and lifted her up and spun around. She liked this, it seemed, since she didn't take her hands from my shoulders.

The song changed into a slower paced song, and the moving bodies slowed as well. When I was leading Rachel back to the booth, I spotted Kelsey dancing with that one kid Michael. Her arms were around his neck, and his hands around her waist.

I looked away with mixed feelings about that. But I didn't have time to dwell, since I saw Isabelle wasn't there and Madeline and Ray were getting up to dance. Rachel seemed to see someone she knew, and instantly hurried off to a giggling group of girls.

I looked down at Sierra, and I watched as a smile stretched across her face, not looking up at me until I didn't move. She then turned her green eyes up to me, a blush rising to her cheeks. "Yes?"

"Want to dance?" I asked, offering my hand. She looked at it, and then back up to me, and nodded. She took my hand and I helped her up and led her to the dance floor. I put her arms around my neck and I snaked my arms around her waist. She avoided eye contact for awhile, only sneaking glances up at me, but I just kept staring at her.

She was beautiful. She reminded me of Yesubai, even though they actually didn't look alike. I think it was the eyes. Yesubai's were a light shade of green, though.

"I have been wondering something," I asked.

She looked up at me. "Yes?"

"What is you're origin?" I asked. "I mean, your race..."

"Well, my father is Indian, and my mother half Hispanic and Indian," she said, and shrugged. "Are you fully Indian?"

"No," I said, shaking my head. "My father was Indian, and my mother chinese."

"Really?" she said, sounding surprised. "I would've have thought chinese."

"I take more after my father," I said. "My brother takes more after our mother."

"Ah," she said, nodding, looking down away from my eyes. As we swayed, we moved in a circle. I caught sight of Kelsey and that other guy - Michael, I recalled - slow dancing. They were both quiet, it seemed, and Kelsey had her face slightly angled away from his chest. A frustrated, sorrowful look was on her face.

"Hey," I said, grabbing Sierra's attention. "What's it between Michael and Kelsey, might I ask?"

"Well, um," Sierra said, looking back over she shoulder at the two before looking back to me. "They kinda have a thing, but they're not together or anything. Kelsey always seems to have an internal argument inside her head anytime Michael or guys are brought up. I don't understand it."

I think I do, I said silently in my mind, and I couldn't help the grin spreading across my face.

There was a gas station a minute or so away, and Sierra said she could make it with her car. So, Kelsey and I climbed in her blue car (I wondered if Ren purposely chose the color of his eyes for the car) and she started home.

We had only stayed at the club for about three hours, and so I had about an hour and a half of being a man.

"So," I started, leaning back in my chair. "Can't get over Ren?"

"What?" She sputtered, her face going red. "What does He have to do with anything?"

"Miss Seirra told me about your 'boy issues,'" I said, smirking. "I saw you dancing with that Michael guy."

"What's it to ya?" She said, frowning.

"I was only wondering," I replied, shrugging. "It's not like I really talk to him anyways. We get two words out to each other and then it's all claws."

"You got that right," she grumbled to herself, but I chuckled all the same, amused.

"Why did you leave?" I asked, looking over to her. "I mean, it's pretty obvious you and Ren like each other... Actually, love each other."

"No," she said quietly as we pulled up to her house, and she opened the garage door and parked the car. She clicked the button that closed it and hurried out. I got out, and transformed back into a tiger and followed her up to the house.

I followed her to the bedroom, and she made to the rest room, and then smirked at me. "I'd like to take a shower, alone."

I transformed back to say, "You sure? I could get your back... among other things." She rolled her eyes and disappeared into the bathroom. I laughed, transforming into a tiger. I hopped onto her bed, and listened as I heard the water turn off, and the patter of it as it hit skin.

I closed my eyes, drifting into a light sleep. I opened my eyes when I heard the door open, and Kelsey came out with wet, brushed hair. She wore a tank top with pajama bottoms.

I transformed back and said, "You know, he still hasn't left the house. Maybe ventured out into the jungle, but that's it."

"Kishan, I don't love him," she said, shaking her head, but she sounded like she was trying to convince herself. "I mean, I would like to still be friends with him, but he'll find someone else."

"You know," I said, laying back on the one side of the bed she didn't lay. She turned off the lights as I spoke and came and curled under the blankets next to me. "I can relate to him in this, I suppose... I mean, I loved Yesubai. I thought my heart was going to shatter in my chest when I realized..."

"I'm sorry, Kishan," Kelsey said in the dark, and I felt her hand weave into mine.

"That was a long time ago," I said, and then sighed heavily. And then a grinned. "Do I get a good night kiss?"

She laughed, and I watched her hand come up and touch my cheek before she moved it to cover my mouth. I was smiling as I heard her shift, and I felt her breath as she kissed my cheek.

I reached up quickly, took her hand, forced it from my mouth, and caught her lips. She seemed surprised briefly, even when I moved and put my hand on her neck. I felt her hands cautiously place themselves on my shoulders, and then reach up to my neck.

I purred, leaning harder into her, and reached down and wrapped my one arms around her waist. Her fingers found my hair, and she wove her fingers into it. I let both of us taste each others mouth before I pulled away, feeling a shudder down my spine, telling me my time was up.

I laughed softly, and she took her fingers from my hair. Then, in a breathless voice, she said, "Can you hand me my tiger?"

I rolled my eyes, and turned, reaching down to where the tiger had spent the day on the floor, and picked it up. She cuddled it as I transformed. Kelsey, after a few minutes, placed her head on my stomach. I purred once for a moment before falling asleep.

**A/N: Ooooh, bad Kishan. I hope y'all aren't Kishan/Kelsey people. Since that kiss really isn't going anywhere x3 You'll see. **

**Please review,**

**MaskedMuse  
**


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note: Sorry it took so long to update! Please forgive me! School has been hard, and I've been awfully busy with everything else. I hope you enjoy the chapter!**

**Jungle of the Heart**

**Chapter Four**

I woke up before Kelsey, and managed to slip out from under her without waking her up. I went and grabbed a change of clothes before heading to the bathroom. I turned the hot water on, stripped, and got in. The warm water ran down my body, and I stood, enjoying it. Bonus to being a human more? Hot showers.

I washed my hair with her shampoo, and skipped the condition. I let it run out and I got out, drying my hair and wrapping the towel around my waist and brushed my teeth. I heard Kelsey move in her room, and then a knock. "Kishan?"

"Yeah?" I said, spitting in the sink.

"Decent?"

"Mostly."

I watched as the door opened slowly, and Kelsey peek her head in with her hand over her eyes. She lowered them slowly, and I saw her cheeks go red. She let her hand fall. "You call that decent?"

"Yes," I replied, smiling. "Did you need something?"

"I wanted to talk to you, but I don't think I can when you're like that," she said, trying to keep her eyes on my face, and failing miserably.

I chuckled, transformed, and then transformed back to a human, where my black clothes were now replaced and the towel at my feet. "Better?"

"Yes," she sighed, and then fiddled with her hands. "Kishan, I was wondering what that was, last night I mean..."

"The kiss?" I said bluntly, raising a brow. She nodded. "I just felt like it. Did you not enjoy it?" I stepped forward, grinning. "I know I did."

Her eyes narrowed. "You just felt like it?"

"Yes," I replied, crossing my arms over my chest. And then I blinked. "Did it mean something to you?"

"Well, no..." she said, trailing off for a moment. "But that doesn't mean you can just kiss people!"

"If I do recall, you kissed me first," I said, raising a brow. She paused, thinking about it, and groaned, pointing into the bedroom.

"Out," she demanded. "My turn to get ready." I purred as I walked past her, and she shut the door behind me.

I wandered into the kitchen to find something to eat, and decided on the mango I found on the counter. I sliced it up over the sink, making sure not to make a mess with the juice. I was just throwing away the seed when Kelsey walked out in jeans and a blue blouse.

"Wanna go out and get some coffee?" She asked, grabbing her car keys. "Or do you want me to bring you something back?"

"Yeah, go to the grocery store," I said, crossing my arms. "Use your credit card Ren gave you. I want meat in this house!" I said in a false I-am-the-boss voice. She smiled, and nodded.

"Alright," she said, and sighed. "I'll be back in an hour."

"I'll be around," I replied. She nodded, and walked out the door. I waited until i heard the garage door closing behind her to go and turn the TV on. When I found a channel that seemed interesting enough, I transformed and lounged out on the couch.

About twenty minutes later, I heard a giant crash on the other side of the wall. I perked my ears up, listening for it again. It was silent, except for the TV. It came from Sierra's side of the house.

I got up, transformed, and hurried out the door and around to Kelsey's neighbor's door. I knocked, and I heard another bang, and then Sierra opened the door, bubbles in her hair. "Oh," she said, surprised. "Kishan. Sorry about the noise... I was giving Vivi a bath."

"I thought you hurt yourself or something," I admitted.

She grinned. "My bad."

And then it got quiet and awkward. I shuffled my feet, about to open my mouth and say I was just going to leave, when she said, "Do you want some tea or something?"

"I'd love some," I said, nodding. She let me come in, and closed the door behind me. It was a mirrored image of Kelsey's home. Her living room consisted of a couch and a small plush seat. She also had a four-sitter table, and it was scattered with paper's and books.

She walked past me into the kitchen, and I followed. The little dog-rat thing was in there, completely wet. It's wire hair was drooping down with wait of the water, and it was rolling itself on it's back. It flipped over when it saw me and started to bark.

"Vivi," Sierra scolded, and shooed the dog from the kitchen. "Sorry. She usually doesn't do that... Only to cats and other dogs."

"Lovely," I grumbled under my breath, but she didn't hear me. She poured the tea and handed me my cup. I sipped it tentatively; it was super sweet, and I grinned happily. We made our way to her living room, where she sat on the chair and I took the couch.

"Where's Kelsey?" Sierra questioned.

"I sent her to the grocery store," I said, smirking. "She has nothing over there. Except that stuff... top ramen?"

Sierra laughed. "Top ramen and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches: food for the college kids."

"Do you only have that too?"

"No," she said, shaking her head. "I keep my food relatively well stocked. My mother and father make sure of that. You see, they were both so worried about me going off to college. They live in California. So they bought me this house, and they send me money every month."

"What do your parents do?" I asked, raising a brow. I knew Kelsey's house wasn't the cheapest, and it would cost just as much as Sierra's. Then plus schooling and everything.

"My father an attorney and my mother a cardiac doctor," she said simply, and shrugged. "And my grandparents were wealthy, so my folks in general are individually wealthy."

"Sounds like a good deal," I said, grinning. And it was impressive; even though they had money, they had decided to work. I already had respect for the two.

"How about you?" she said, sipping her tea and looking at me over the brim.

"My mother and father died awhile ago," I said, biting the inside of my lip. "Some illness..."

"I'm sorry," she said, reaching over and placing her hand on my shoulder, her brows pulled together in a look of sorrow for me.

"It's alright," I assured. "They were good people. Highly respected in India... My brother got their fortune." Which was true, in a sense. Anik was able to handle all that while my brother and I were running around in the woods and being stuck in a cage.

"Oh, really?" Sierra asked, brow raised. "Does he work?"

"Not yet," I said tentatively. "You see, this girl... Okay, Kelsey, decided to break up with him, and then came back to America. So, right now he's moping."

She giggled. "Lovely. What did he do before?"

"He was in the circus business," I said, smiling brightly. See, that wasn't completely not true. Oh, how I wanted to laugh out loud right about now.

"What did he do?"

"He worked with tigers..."

"Oh! Is that how Kelsey met him? You all?" She said, leaning forward, eyes bright. "She told me how she went to India to make sure this tiger got over there safe."

"Yes, that is how she met Ren," I said, nodding. Great, now I would have to be careful to what I say about Kelsey and Ren. I didn't want the friends fighting because Sierra thought that Kelsey had lied to her. And I didn't want kelsey to be mad at me. I personally didn't want to go sleep in a hotel.

"That's so great," she said, sighing, sitting back in her chair. "I'm jealous of Kelsey. I've always wanted to go to India."

"Really?" I said, grinning, arcing one brow.

"Of course!" She said. "I've heard it's really packed, back I'd still like to go. Go sight-seeing and whatnot."

I was almost to busy listening to her that I about didn't hear the car pulling into the garage next door. Sierra heard it to, since she didn't continue. She smiled, grabbing my attention. "Kells is back! Go get her. You two can hang over here for awhile if you want."

"Of course," I said, standing, and headed towards the door. "I'll go ask her." Sierra stood up and nodded in agreement before I closed the door. The garage door was closing as I just walked around, so I trotted up and through the front door.

"Kelsey?" I called. "Sierra invited us to her house-!" I stopped dead in my tracks. He stood right in front of the garage door, his blue eyes glints of fire in his shadowed face. He wore a business suit, all white, except for the blue tie. "Ren?"

He leaped at me then, a four hundred pound mass of white and black. I ducked, transforming as well, and round on him. He ears were back and his teeth bared, claws fully extended. He looked skinnier than the last time I had seen him, and that was still awfully bad. He needed to eat much more.

He charged at me, and went on to his hind legs. I swiped my paw at his head, connecting, and it brought him back to all fours. That didn't even stop him for a second, since he tackled me right when his paws hit the floor.

We both went hurdling back, his teeth on my throat as I pushed my back paw up into his stomach. I finally managed to push him off, and I transformed real quick before he could attack again. "Ren! What are you doing here?" I growled.

He transformed to, and was still in a crouching position. "The real question is," he growled back. "Why are you here, Kishan?"

"I'm seeing Kelsey, to make sure everything is alright!" I yelled, and an image of Yesubai, dead, on the floor surfaced. I bit my tongue to stop the choking sound from my throat at the image. "You were too busy moping to even call her!"

He jumped at me, still in human form, and we wrestled, trying to get the upper hand, throwing punches and kicks. I had a black eye like he had a busted lip and varies of other bruises. We were both so busy we didn't even hear the garage door nor the other door open.

What we did hear, though, was Kelsey, yelling in shock, "What're you doing?"

We both looked up from where we were, the couch turned over and the coffee table a few feet from where it originally was. Ren was on top, one hand on my shoulder, fist back, while my hands had a death grip on his shirt collar. Kelsey had two green bags in each hand, and the two kids behind her each had one, and both their eyes were wide in shock and almost fear.

"Surprise?" I said, smiling, and then grimaced at my split lip.


	5. Chapter 5

**Jungle of the Heart**

_Chapter Five_

Samuel and Rebecca, Kelsey's two step siblings, were in her room playing with their stuffed tigers as Ren, Kelsey and I formed a triangle in the kitchen and stood there awkwardly. Kelsey looked up a few times, her eyes almost always glued to Ren, but then she'd look down again, her cheeks going red.

"Well, I'd love to stay and chat, but..." I said, pushing off from the counter, heading towards the door.

"Hold it right there," Ren growled.

I looked over my shoulder, grabbing the door handle, and pulled it open, saying, "I'm not the one who started the fight - Sierra!" I almost ran into the young woman. She stepped back in time just to avoid our heads banging together.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I thought you said you'd be coming back," she said, arching a brow, before looking past my shoulder and seeing Ren there. She paused, mixed emotions running across her face. "Oh! You have a guest - I'm sorry, I was just making sure everything was fine!"

"Everything is spiffy," I assured, about to step out when I felt a hand grab the back of my shirt in a 'You are so not getting out that easily' kind of way.

"Sorry, Sierra," Kelsey said by my side. "I need to have a talk with them - can you go and watch Rebecca and Sammy for me? They're in my room."

"Of course!" She said. She went by, glancing at Ren again in what seemed close to shock and recognition , and then disappeared back in the hall way towards Kelsey's room. We all filed out so we wouldn't be overheard.

"Now," Kelsey said, turning to Ren, a blush on her cheeks as she faced him. "What're you doing here?"

"Because I wanted to see you," he said up front. "Kishan called me."

"You called me!" I argued. "And you had to come here and try to beat the living crap out of me just because you're angry! This is not my fault! Accusation denied!" I said grumpily, and I poked him hard in the chest.

Ren narrowed his eyes at me. His blue eyes were a shade darker than usual, and he really did seem skinny now, in human form. His hair wasn't as perfect as it would be on normal days, and dark circles laid under his eyes. He seemed tired and stressed.

"Boys," she said impatiently, and then sighed. "I'm sure Samuel and Rebecca are scared half out of their wits. It's nearly Halloween, and their parents asked if I could take them out to get their costumes. And I doubt leaving you two here alone is a good idea."

"We're not children," I said defiantly, crossing my arms.

"Only you are," Ren growled.

I decided to ignore him - for Kelsey's sake - and turned to the young woman. "Fine. I'll take Sierra out. Then Ren can sit here and mope. How about that?"

"How do you know she will say yes?" Kelsey said, raising a brow and crossing her eyes. A smile tugged at her lips at the tease.

"Because I'm an Indian prince and devilishly handsome with my looks and charm," I said, winking at her playfully. I shot forward, pecked the young woman on the cheek, and then bolted toward the door. I heard a growl cut off behind me. I smiled to myself, heading back into Kelsey's room.

Sierra sat on the floor, counting, and the two little kids no where to be seen. I crossed my arms, smiling brightly, and leaned on the door frame. "... eight, nine, ten!" She uncovered her eyes, and grinned, looking around. She paused, spotting me.

I smiled, pointing to where one child was hiding behind the pillows on Kelsey's bed, and the other in the bathroom, where I heard giggling. Sierra nodded in understanding, and went and grabbed Rebecca from behind the pillows. The young girl shrieked in laughter.

"I've got you now!" Sierra said. Rebecca was laughing and pleading, and then suddenly shut down when she saw me. Sierra put her down, and then disappeared into the bathroom. Samuel, giggling, ran out to his sister. when he saw me, he also paused, and then grabbed his sister's hand and hid behind her. He peeked out at me from her side.

"Who are you?" Rebecca asked, head tilting to the side, her braid swinging when she moved her head.

"I'm Kishan," I said, straightening, and walking further into the room. "I'm one of Kelsey's close friends."

"But I've already met all her close friends," the girl argued, her brows pulling together. "Michael, the twins, Ray, and Sierra!"

"And you and that other guy were fighting," Samuel piped up, stepping out from behind his sister. Then when he saw my eyes on him, he lowered his head and toed the ground. "And Mommy said fighting is bad."

"Fighting is very bad," Sierra said quickly when seeing my dumbfound expression. I had no idea what to do with kids, really. I couldn't explain why Ren and I were fighting, either - to them, at least. Then again...

"That other man," I said, crouching down to their level. "He's actually my brother. His name is Ren. Ren is a very big a-"

"Meanie," Sierra interrupted.

"-meanie," I said, rolling my eyes. "And he want's to take Kelsey back to India, and keep her there!"

Sierra looked at me in utter disapproval, while the children's eyes got very big with shock. I held back my laugh that was threatening to escape, and I motioned my head back to the door.

"Maybe you two should go save her?"

"Yeah!" Samuel said. "We don't want her to leave again!" And with that, they ran to go save their 'big sister.'

I turned to Sierra, ignoring her look, and grabbed her hand. "I say we have about ten minutes to escape before Kelsey and Ren come in here and kill me. Wanna go get dinner?"

She shook her head, but an unwilling smile escaped. "Fine."

"Here?"

"This is the place."

"It smells terrible."

"Huh?"

"I said it's well unbearable." I said quickly, and smiled at her. "Are you sure you don't want to go somewhere else?"

"You were the one who asked me where I wanted to eat," she said stubbornly. "And I want to eat at Sonic." I groaned, and we both got out. I squeezed out between the large menu, and started after Sierra. There was another large menu in front of the tables, and Sierra was examining it. I looked at the jumble of words, squinting, trying to read it. I should've learned to read english with Ren.

"I... I can't read it," I admitted quietly.

"Huh?" Sierra said, looking at me, ripping her gaze from the menu. I bit the inside of my lip, and looked at the menu.

I said a little louder, "I can't read english."

"Oh," she said, looking slightly taken off guard. "Okay. Well, um, they have hamburgers, hotdogs..." She rambled off, pointing to each thing as she said.

When she was done, I said, "I'll have a hamburger then. Make it three. The biggest one." She raised a brow, but didn't question as she pressed the button. It was like a phone; a voice came out of no where and asked us if that was all. Then Sierra paused, looked at me, and said, "Do you want a milkshake or something?"

"Milkshake?"

"We'll take two milkshakes," she said, shrugging. The guy on the other side said he'd have our order out as soon as possible. Sierra grabbed my hand, and led me to one of the tables. I saw on one side of the table, and Sierra across. red plastic covered the whole table, and in most parts it hade been cut and written on. Things like "JEN & KYLE 4 EVER" and "CHASE WAZ HERE." And other profanities.

"So, that was Ren, right?" She asked, crossing her arms and leaning forward. I noted the goosebumps on her arms. I shrugged out of my leather jacket before responding, and handed it over. She did a smirk/smile thing with her mouth that I didn't think was possible, and she pulled the jacket on.

"Yes, that was the infamous Ren," I said, and I chuckled as I caught her sniffing my jacket.

"Why is he here?" she asked, pulling the jacket tighter around her and crossing her arms and leaning on the table once again. The night was chilly, but it didn't bug me as much as it did regular people. She mock gasped. "He's here to steal her heart and flee with her back to India, where he intends to marry her?"

I laughed. "Well, that would be more something I would do. So, no, Ren will not be doing that." She raised a brow at that, but didn't say anything.

Our food came, and I sniffed the burger. It smelt like meat that had been in the sun a little too long, not like the meat I got at higher end restaurants. Sierra dug into her hot dog, taking two good bites out of it before putting it down and snatching up her milkshake.

She popped the lid off and got her spoon, and scooped it up into her mouth. She sighed happily.

"What is a milkshake?" I asked, giving her a look, and then at the drink.

"You've never had a milkshake?" she said, looking at me in total disbelief. I shook my head. She took a large scoop out of her's, and offered it to me. I cautiously scraped it off with my teeth.

And my taste buds blew up.

I stared at her, letting the frozen chocolate melt on my tongue. Robotically, I got mine, popped off the plastic cover, and upturned it into my mouth. Sierra was laughing loudly as I practically inhaled the cold treat. She grabbed it from me, still laughing, and said, "Swallow! You're gonna choke!"

I did as she ordered, and my mouth felt numb with sugary goodness. She was smiling, pleased. She pointed to the burgers. "Food first, then dessert!"

I scoffed at her, unwrapping the sandwich. We ate and talked, and I got three more milkshakes, even against Sierra's teasing of 'You'll get fat!' We had a nice dinner(If you'd call this food...) Until these four guys showed up.

"Shit," Sierra cursed, ducking, head down.

"What?" I said, tensing up, and looked over my shoulder. It was just these four guys, around our age - er, Sierra's age - and they were at the menu, picking the things they were going to order.

"That's my ex," she said, pointing to the blonde young man in the group. He was tall, and did some kind of sport, I was sure. And he was obviously the 'leader' of the group. I looked back to her.

"Do you want to go?" I asked, making to stand up. She nodded, and stood.

"Sierra?" She froze, and I turned, glaring at the man. He didn't even seem to see me as he went to Sierra, and gave her a hug. She seemed awkward, but he pulled back, smiling, a hand still on her shoulder. "It's so good to see you!"

"Yeah, you too..." She trailed off, stepping out from his touch.

"You didn't return any of my texts!"

"I didn't get them," she lied. "But, me and my... date... were just about to leave. So, I'll see ya later, Tony."

"Date?" He said, and then looked at me. I crossed my arms over my chest, and put on a carefully emotionless face. He blinked, as if finally noticing me. He puffed out his chest, and looked at Sierra, almost angrily, and said, "Dating? Seers, we never broke up!"

"Oh, really?" she laughed shakily. "I thought me yelling at you about cheating on me was enough."

"I told you, _she_ kissed _me_!" He argued.

"Alright, Tony, you heard her. Back off." I reached forward, grabbing his shoulders and yanking him away from her. He seemed as if I had punched him, and I took his place near Sierra.

"Who do you think you are?" He said, on the verge of yelling. I saw the other three guys puffing up their chest and giving me dirty looks, taking small steps forward to back up their friend. He reached forward to push me on the chest. He did so, but I didn't sway back, like he expect me to. I smirked at him, shaking my head.

"Go home, children," I growled, and I could feel the tiger just under my skin. How I wanted to transform and see these guys run like little girls. "I don't have time for you. You don't want me to bruise that face of yours."

"You wanna go, buddy?" Tony said, stepping forward. We were chest to chest.

"Tony, Kishan, stop it," Sierra said in a commanding tone. "Tony, just go home. We're through."

"No, we're not!" He hissed, and I took that time to have my fist connect with his cheek. He fell instantly, and there was a pause before his friends went for me. I blocked one's punch, grabbed his hair in a handful, and moved him to where he took another's punch for me. The third came around for the side, aiming to kick me, but my fist shot out and got him in the mouth. I felt his teeth slice the skin on my knuckles.

"Get in the car," I told Sierra, taking out my keys and holding them out to her in a flash. She did as I asked.

"Kishan?" I glanced behind me, and saw Michael. He blinked at me, then the guys. "Holy shit."

"Sorry, gotta run," I said apologetically, going for the car.

"Hey! Can you tell Kelsey to call me later? Or tomorrow? If she'd not busy?"

"Sure!" I said, rolling my eyes and ducking into the driver's side. Poor boy. I'd have to tell Kelsey to let him down softly. He seemed nice enough.

I put the car in reverse and smoothly backed out, and then into drive and accelerated. Sierra wiped her eyes quickly, and then gasped when she saw my hand. She grabbed it from the steering wheel, and kept repeating, "I'm sorry, so sorry..."

"It's fine," I assured, pulling my hand back before she could see it start to mend itself. "It doesn't hurt."

**Author's Note: Thank you everyone who waited so long for this story! And I'm sorry. I don't have a PC, only Mac's, and FF doesn't like pages. So, luckily, at my school I can upload them and whatnot. And, my dad had a stroke. So, that kinda sucks...**

**Thank you everyone!**

**And if you like this Tiger's Curse Fanfiction, you can always go check out my other story, Reincarnation. *Hint hint nudge nudge* Just kidding. Not really. But okay.**

**Oh, and would y'all like an interactive Tiger's Curse story or something? Where, I give you two options, and the one who gets the more demand, I write the next chapter? Like...**

_**And Ren held the knife up, bringing his arm down to plunge into Kishan's neck.**_

_**Should Kishan Die?**_

_**Or should Kishan be saved?**_

**Much better than that, but you know what I mean. I hope.**

**-Elisa**


	6. Chapter 6

_**Reincarnation  
Chapter Seven**_

Kelsey and Ren met us back at the hotel. We found them in their room, Mr. Kadam on speaker. We came in quietly, and Kelsey looked up and greeted us, her eyes going wide at the weapons in our hands. Ren politely interrupted Anik, saying that we were back.

We jumped in to explain everything that happened, and we told Anik of our weapons. Kelsey held out her hand to hold the trident, and when Yajna gave it to her, she almost dropped it. Ren caught it before it clattered to the floor.

"It's heavy," they both said, surprised. They smiled at each other.

"Jinx, you own me a coke," Kelsey joked.

"I'll get you one later," he promised, and handed it back to Yajna. "That's strange. I thought we all would be able to handle the weapons Durga gave us."

"I guess not." I said, holding the discus. I looked to Yajna, who was looking at me with her lovely purple eyes. I smiled. "When do you want to leave to Rome?"

"You can just take our plane," Ren said. "That will be much faster."

"How about tomorrow, then?" Yajna said.

"That will be no problem," Anik said from the phone.

"I didn't think that they would combine," Kelsey said. "I mean, that's Roman mythology."

"Yeah, how did you know about Remus and Romulus?" I asked.

"I was a history major," she explained. "My favorite was european history. And Father and I were going to go there this summer with Mr. Pillai..." She trailed that off awkwardly. She blushed. "Um, which one is Kelsey's and I's hotel room?"

"Next door," Kelsey said, bouncing up. She pulled out a key card from her pocket, and handed it to the other girl. "I'll be in there in a minute."

"Alright," she said, nodding. She smiled at me and Ren. "Good night."

"Sweet dreams," I replied.

"Good night," Ren said politely, smiling.

I watched her leave. She sent me another smile before closing the door. I stared at the door for some time, and I heard the swipe of the card and the door closing next door. Ren said something, and I had to turn to him. "Huh?"

"Mahir Pillai," Ren said slowly. "It's her fiancé."

I paused, staring at him for a moment. Kelsey went quiet, and looked at me cautiously. Ren looked me straight in the eye. He sighed, blinking slowly. "I should have told you earlier. He called me earlier, asking where Yajna was. I forgot to tell her."

I continued looking at him in disbelief. "You bastard."

"But, for you, stealing a fiancé is no problem, is it?" Ren said, defensive, and he rose from the bed. I growled low in my chest, stepping up. Kelsey stood, stepping between us. She put a hand on both of our chests.

"Ren, Kishan," she said, looking between us. "You two need to behave! We're in a hotel. They can kick us out, you know. I'm sure they don't care even if you told them you were Dhiren and Kishan, the two princes'! And I'm sure Yajna is tired and already freaked out. She doesn't need to see you two fighting."

Ren huffed, but relaxed his stance. I rolled my eyes, pulling away. "Then I'm going to take a shower. Kelsey, you're welcome to join me. Ren, you can watch." The last thing I saw before I shut the door was Kelsey rolling her eyes, keeping a hand on Ren's arm as if that would stop him from killing me.

I walked in, thanking Yajna for opening the door. My bag was on the other bad, and Yajna had just opened her suit case. She had showered, with her wet hair up in a towel. She smiled, apologized, and went back to the phone.

I listened to her rapid hindu, picking up words here and there. I walked into the bathroom to brush my hair and my teeth. I had just pulled my hair into a pony tail when I walked out. Yajna hung up the phone at the same time, sighing heavily.

"Boy trouble?" I teased.

She laughed with little humor. "I'm sure Dhiren already told you I'm engaged."

"Yes," I said, sitting on the bed. "He told Kishan. He wasn't very happy about it..."

Her face fell. "Kelsey, what if I'm not... Yesubai? What if I just look like her? How can any of this be possible?"

I smiled at the girl. "Yajna, you're not Yesubai. You're just a reincarnation. You're still you. Don't worry about that."

"I know," she said, looking down to her hands in her lap. "But I don't want to disappoint Kishan. How he looks at me... I can practically feel his heart was given to me just by a look."

"Kishan and Ren are strong about their feelings," I agreed. It was almost fun to talk about boys with the other girl. We were about the same age, loosely speaking. I almost felt a pang of jealousy that Ren had feelings for this girl, Yesubai. I could see why. She was beautiful, with the most stunning eyes. Much thinner than me. She was small and petite and looked like she belonged on an arm of an Indian Prince.

"How about you and Ren?" she asked.

"We're friends," I said, and my heart felt pained. I needed to be strong. Ren needed someone else. Someone better. "What about you and Mahir?"

She blushed, and looked down. "I love him. I can see myself living with him and being happy for the rest of my rest, however short that is. He's a doctor, the head doctor, at my father's facility..."

"But?"

"But," she said, chuckling. "Kishan just seems so much more. I could see myself going everywhere, trying everything. Learn about how he grew up, so much more different than most. I could see myself being happy with him. He could just give me so much..."

... And to end on the girl talk, there was a loud thumping from the other side of the wall. Guess which side? Yep, the one with Ren and Kishan. Yajna jumped.

"Don't worry," I assured, as she looked concerned, opening her mouth. "They get into disagreements... You see, they don't get along too well."

"Oh," she said, still looking unsure.

I smiled, and then yawned. "Well, I'm going to hit the hay."

"What do you mean?" she looked at me, seeming confused.

"Um, going to sleep," I corrected myself, and laughed. She laughed as well.

**Author's Note:**

**Hola! I know it's been forever - don't hurt me, please. I haven't forgotten this story! Just some personal issues I've been dealing with. It's called Life. But it's getting better.**

**To answer the questions I remember off the top of my head... Well, I do see my writing mistakes in previous chapters, but I'm not overly interested in going back and fixing them. Sorry! Yes, I do live in Texas, and we do say y'all. So, in upcoming chapters, I'll make sure the characters don't say that. Because, well, they're not rednecks like me! (Just and FYI: Texans do not go to school on horses, I have yet to see a tumble weed here, and we're not all cowboys/cowgirls. Just putting that out there)**

**Anyways, thanks for reading! Reviews are appreciated, and I'll know if people want me to continue this story. **

**P.S. Please refrain from saying, "Well, in the third book..." I know. I started this before I read Tiger's Voyage. Some of this stuff will not be 'correct.' And we don't want spoilers for those who have yet to read/finished it! **


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